Are you Axure-curious or looking to improve your Axure confidence and skills? Do you wonder if prototyping or using Axure would improve your work or process? Join our half-day workshop to learn Axure from one of their few recommended trainers, Debbie Levitt. Bring your laptop and work along with your trainer, who can troubleshoot with you if you're having any trouble. The workshop will start with a quick look at prototyping in the UX process: Why prototyping is important in a UX process. How it helps with stakeholders, collaboration, and user testing. How it can save time. Why Axure is the best tool for flow charts, wireframes, and clickable interactive prototypes. Since we can't learn all of Axure in a half day, we'll focus on some core beginner and intermediate skills including: A tour of the software environment and capabilities. Flow charts and wireframes. Some beginner and intermediate techniques and skills. Sharing and publishing your Axure work for others. How to "think like Axure" so that beyond-beginner prototyping feels comfy? Specific skills to be covered include: The Axure environment. Axure publishing, exporting, and synchronized team projects. Widget and Page styles. Widgets, Masters, Annotations, Documentation. Naming conventions. Flow charts and wireframing. Building basic interactive forms. Various examples of "dynamic panels," the element in Axure that makes things show, hide, move, or change. Emulating mobile responsive design using Adaptive Views.

1. #UXPA2016
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Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
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Add Axure
Prototyping Skills
to Your UX Process
Debbie Levitt, Principal
Ptype
UX Agency & Axure Training
http://pty.pe
PtypeUX

2. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Hello from Ptype (short for
prototype)
UX Strategy & Innovation
Product Concept & Design
Creative Problem Solving
UX Design & Optimization
User-Centered Design
Information Architecture
Interaction Design
Prototyping
Iteration
User Testing
Startup Pitching
Axure Training
Live (on-site or online)
Public Classes
Video Courses
http://pty.pe/services
Presentation ©2016 Ptype. All rights reserved.

3. #UXPA2016
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Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
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Agenda
5:30 – 6:00
6:00 – 7:30
7:30 – 8:00
8:00 – 9:30
Why prototype? Why Axure?
Axure lessons
Break
Axure lessons

4. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Why prototype?
It’s part of this complete UX breakfast!

5. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Imagine this. Remember what this
does!
Image found on sixrevisions.com
Wireframes require people to “imagine” that
clicking or interacting does something they can’t
experience.
They then have to remember that from page to
page, screen to screen, without being able to
explore or discover.

6. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
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Prototyping brings it all to life.
• A prototype allows someone to just experience
what you have built without bias, hints, or “imagine
it does this.”
• Reasons to prototype include:
• Bring to life what is static in wireframes and comps.
• Brainstorm and explore ideas.
• Refine selected ideas.
• Present to stakeholders, clients, VIPs.
• User testing.
• Save time, money, and potential UX debt.

7. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
It costs more to change things
after the UX phase
By finding feature,
execution, or
usability problems
before code is
written, you can
save:
• Time
• Money
• Conflict
• Anxiety
• Customer
Sadness

8. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Prototyping fits in the iterative
design process
Learn
BuildMeasure
Research &
Test
Design &
Prototype
KPIs &
Hypotheses

9. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Execution matters.
A good idea executed poorly can still fail.

10. #UXPA2016
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Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
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Think about your fave apps and
services
• Are the ideas really that ground-breaking?
• Dating app.
• Share photos.
• Group message friends.
• Or is it the execution of that idea?
• This is so easy to use.
• I didn’t feel like I was learning something new.
• It worked just the way I expected.
• I always know exactly where to go and how to
accomplish my task.

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Two steps to meditation bliss

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Let’s add 2 more steps

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Imagine users reacting to that
new design
• If a user saw wireframes of those two new screens,
they might think they’re OK.
• Have the user have to click on those two pages every
time they want to hear a new track or re-listen to an
old track.
• Would any user who tested a prototype of that longer
process feel that the app was now…
• Faster to use?
• Easier to use?
• More intuitive?
• Better matching their needs?
• Judging them as a human?
• Co-dependent?

14. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Why should you use
Axure?
Best-in-class software that’s affordable and something you’ll
never outgrow.

15. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
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Huge range of prototyping tools
• Adobe Experience Design (formerly Comet), Antetype,
App Sketcher, Atomic, Axure, Balsamiq, Briefs, Cacoo,
Canvas Flip, Concept Draw, Designer Vista, FairBuilder,
Flinto, Fluid, ForeUI, Form, Framer, Gliffy, HotGloo,
Indigo Studio, Inpreso, InVision, iRise, JustInMind,
Keynote, Kony, Maqetta, Marvel, Microsoft Blend,
Mockplus, Origami, Pixate, PowerPoint, Principle,
Proto.io, ProtoShare, Simulify, Solidify, UXPin, Webflow.
• And I once saw a clickable interactive prototype
someone built in Microsoft Excel. Mind-blowing.

16. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Or why not just write code?
• I don’t believe in forcing non-programmers to be programmers.
Challenge people but play to strengths. I met a guy…
• Visual thinkers may not be comfy dealing in writing code or using
pre-fab code blocks.
• I don’t believe that programmers will like code written by non-
programmers. To a dev, you’re no dev.
• What might take a programmer hours to build takes me minutes
in Axure. Rapid prototyping should allow faster iteration than
code.
• Using Axure is faster than most people think. 200 hours took me
65.
• Only advantage of writing production-worthy code over Axure
and tools like it is that the output of the UX team would be code
you can immediately push to the customer.

17. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Axure does nearly everything
• Speed: fast to use once you’ve learned some core skills
• Fidelity: low, medium, high, you pick
• Sharing: cross-compatible files; team projects over SVN
• User testing: for sure
• Support: fantastic, fast, no extra charge
• Mobile and touch: swipe, drag, tap, long press
• Dynamic elements: for sure
• Icon set: built in FontAwesome

18. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Axure does nearly everything
• Transitions/Animations: fade, slide, flip, rotate
• Dynamic data: yes but no external data
• Widget library: yes, download third party ones, or
make your own
• Offline mode: Axure is a client. You are not building
in the cloud but you can send files to the cloud for
others to view/interact.
• Annotations and Documentation/Spec: yes
• Print and Export: yes
• Collaboration and Feedback: yes

19. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
And more
• Masters
• Global visual styling (like CSS)
• Custom shapes and pen tool
• Flow charts and wireframes (not just prototyping)
• Mobile responsive web.
• Native app prototyping.
• Variables and math.
• Drag and drop.
• Fits in with all approaches and styles (Agile, Waterfall,
total panic).

20. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Fairly priced
Since v7 was a free upgrade from v6
and v8 is a free upgrade from v7,
I paid the flat Axure license fee in 2011.

21. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Low, medium, high

22. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Axure facts
• Around since 2003.
• 86% of the Fortune 100 use
Axure.
• Heaps of companies and
agencies outside the Fortune
100 use Axure.
• Often listed in UX job
descriptions as a desired tool.
• All staff are in San Diego.

23. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Since early 2011, there’s
only one thing I haven’t
been able to build in Axure.
A real, working WYSIWYG text editor. Fake it or plug it in later.

24. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
My Training Curriculum
Core Skills Mobile App
Prototyping
Our Time
Together
16 hrs 8 hrs 3 hrs
Beginner and intermediate Axure flow
chart, wireframing, and prototyping skills.
Learn to think like Axure. You’ll build
common elements including forms,
carousels, mega menus, and lightboxes.
Advanced class focusing on
prototyping techniques for
native mobile apps.
We’ll get through some core
prototyping skills!

25. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
My Training Curriculum
Core Skills Mobile App
Prototyping
Our Time
Together
16 hrs 8 hrs 3 hrs
Beginner and intermediate Axure flow
chart, wireframing, and prototyping skills.
Learn to think like Axure. You’ll build
common elements including forms,
carousels, mega menus, and lightboxes.
Advanced class focusing on
prototyping techniques for
native mobile apps.
We’ll get through some core
prototyping skills!
X

26. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
What if I need more training?
Video Course:
Interactive Prototyping with Axure RP 8
9+ hrs, 79 lessons, Core Skills plus a few extras
$149.99 USD
http://pty.pe/services/axure-training
Live private and public training options
On-site and remote

27. #UXPA2016
www.uxpa2016.org
Session Survey: http://www.uxpa2016.org/session/survey/5
Conference Survey: www.uxpa2016.org/survey
Questions?
Then, let’s learn and build!
Ptype
UX Agency & Axure Training
http://pty.pe